We have all heard it before—breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I’ve certainly noticed how much better my kids function after eating a nutritious (or well-balanced) meal first thing in the morning. When I was growing up we were always told to eat a good breakfast before a big test. Seriously, who can think on an empty stomach—I know I’m not any fun when I’m hungry. Just ask my kids! Luckily, my girls have always loved breakfast— waffles, fruit, pancakes, yogurt parfaits, cereal—really, who wouldn’t love it?
With the busy schedules we all have these days, it’s not always easy to provide or serve our kids a nutritious breakfast and still have time to get them ready for school. Schools that provide breakfast for their students are setting them up for success while easing the minds of parents at the same time. Plus, not all students have the availability to receive a wholesome breakfast at home. Approximately one in five households with children struggles to put food on the table at some time during the year.* Breakfast in school can act as the stepping stone to alleviating this issue. Three out of four public school teachers of grades K-8 report that their students regularly come to school hungry.**
That’s why I love Fuel Up to Play 60, the leading in-school health and wellness program launched by National Dairy Council and the NFL in collaboration with the USDA. The program encourages kids to be healthy by following nutritional guidelines and incorporating play and exercise into their daily lives. Fuel Up to Play 60 works with schools to make school breakfast more accessible to kids – and they recently announced $35 million in grants aimed at helping schools update or upgrade their existing kitchen equipment, together with the USDA, GENYOUth Foundation and the NFL. 
Fuel Up to Play 60 hosted special events in schools across the country in March to help celebrate National School Breakfast Week (March 7-11) and National Nutrition Month. Idaho’s own Canyon Ridge High School hosted 35 local thought leaders who were treated to a delicious school-provided meal and a presentation entitled “The Secret Power of School Breakfast and Lunch: How Eating at School Can Improve the Lifelong Success of Idaho Students.” Students were treated too—they enjoyed a special breakfast that included yogurt parfaits, fruit and milk.
Some studies show that school breakfast can lead to improved academic performance*** so the Fuel Up to Play 60 program strives to provide alternative breakfast options—such as the Grab and Go, Second Chance Breakfast and Breakfast in the Classroom. Some of the reasons students don’t eat school breakfast in the cafeteria can include the lack of time, awareness of availability, late bus schedules or social stigma. Moving breakfast out of the cafeteria before school and scheduling it after the bell makes it more convenient for students to participate.
Visit FuelUpToPlay60.com to learn more about the importance of school breakfast. Join the conversation on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Just follow #FuelGreatness.
Check out how Fuel Up to Play 60 is helping make breakfast time fun, too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP9fjTs59l0&feature=youtu.be
The author was compensated for this article. All opinions are her own.
* Felling, Christy. "STATEMENT: Share Our Strength's Bill Shore on New USDA Food Insecurity Numbers | www.nokidhungry.org." STATEMENT: Share Our Strength's Bill Shore on New USDA Food Insecurity Numbers | www.nokidhungry.org. No Kid Hungry, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.**“Hunger In Our Schools.” 1st ed. Washington: No Kid Hungry, 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
*** Adolphus, Katie, Clare L. Lawton, and Louise Dye. "The Effects of Breakfast on Behavior and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Frontiers Media S.A., 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
